Share this:

Like this:

Marked in Flesh continues the story of shifter and leader of the Lakeside Courtyard, Simon Wolfgard, and cassandra sangue Meg Corbyn. The terre indigene have rescued the cassandra sangue, and in doing so have given the HFL (Humans First and Last) Movement ammunition to further human prejudice against the terre indigene. In this novel, that anger comes to a head and are acted on, providing impetus for the terre indigene to act, protecting their land and people. Marked in Flesh may be urban fantasy, but it’s storyline is a metaphor for our world today. Unfortunately for us, we don’t have an indigent species to save ourselves and our planet from our own greed, corruption and inhumanity.

Meg is still liaison to the Lakeside Courtyard, but even more, through her prophecies she is providing insight into how their future world will be re-made. With the help of her friends, or female pack as the residents of Lakeside call her group of female human friends. Meg is also providing a service for the other rescued cassandra sangue. It is up to her, the pathfinder, to figure out how to make the world a comfortable, safe place for her kind to live. I like how this sub plot has given Meg more of a purpose than to provide the only humor in these books. Although I did miss the humor.

Simon is also given a bigger purpose. Because of his involvement with Meg, the Elders are watching the terre indigene closely, and his group most especially. Simon is aware of how his reactions and actions with humans will affect their future. We get to know a lot more people outside our Lakeside group, since the HFL movement has spread to the whole world. I’ll admit, that even though I like the growth my favorite characters have made, I miss the smaller storyline of Simon and Meg’s budding relationship. It’s still there, but the book is more politically focused, and the romance is put on the back burner.

This fourth installment in the series is very powerful, driving us towards a conclusion that could possibly end the majority of the human race. I can’t wait to find out what human qualities they decide to keep around! ❤❤❤❤

Share this:

Like this:

At the end of the previous book, Simon and other terre indigene had destroyed most of the compounds holding the cassandra sangue and those young prophets went to live among the Intuit villages. Vision in Silver starts with Meg trying to figure out how to manage the cuts she craves, so she can pass that knowledge along to the other girls. If she cuts without feeling those pins and needles will she be able to hold off the need for cutting for a few weeks? The cassandra sangue are prophets, and with those cuts they see visions that, if spoken, deliver a euphoria very similar to sexual orgasms. That euphoria is very addictive, and most prophets live short lives because of that need. Meg’s prophecy, when she cuts, tells of a war that is to come between a dangerous faction called the HFL or Humans First And Last and the terre indigene and their more scarier Elders.

Vision in Silver is that third novel that spends time setting the stage for future conflicts. A lot of the book explores the hatred that humans feel for the Others. A hatred that shows parallels to what is going on in America in politics. Since this book was published in 2015 I know that the author couldn’t have known that her Nicholas Scratch diatribes would mirror the obscenities spewing out of our own presidents mouth. I couldn’t help envisioning the orange blonde swipe of hair and fake tan on my own vision of Nicholas Scratch. Those parallels made it even easier for me to root for the indigenous natives of Thasia, Meg, and the Lakeside residents that were their human pack.

Meg, as the pathfinder for the other cassandra sangue girls rescued in the previous books, is trying to live as long as possible between cuts. Simon, her werewolf boyfriend, looks worriedly after her, trying to protect her, but not knowing how to go about doing that. He and the other residents of the Lakeside Courtyard seem to have made a pact to keep her from cutting, but as the HFL ramps up their efforts, Meg is feeling those pins and needles and needs to cut to make sure her friends stay safe. Unfortunately, in this novel, her prophecies won’t save everyone. Those deaths are the first step towards the Elders making a decision to eliminate humans and reclaiming all of their land.

This series has quickly become one of my favorite urban fantasy worlds to live in and I wish it could go on forever. Unfortunately, there are only two books left in the series. However, I will be re-reading these over and over again to visit with some of my favorite characters.

Like this:

Cassandra sangue, Meg Corbyn, is still working as the Human Liaison to the terre indigene in the Lakeside Courtyard. Simon, her boss, wolf, and new friend, has come to realize how delicate Meg is in comparison with the Others living in the compound and he guards that fragility ferociously. Meg’s prophecies are happening pretty regularly, not always requiring a cut, but sometimes that prickly feeling is so fierce that she is compelled to slice herself, disregarding her own safety. Her visions are full of violent images and the terre indigene of the Lakeside Courtyard have learned not to ignore what she says, as she has saved their lives before. It becomes apparent that a war between the terre indigene and humans is near when a drug poisons their food making them helpless in the hands of their human murderers.

This novel lacks the humor of the first novel, although watching Meg and Simon tiptoe around each other is pretty funny, both completely clueless about their feelings, and how to act. The first book was about Meg and her safety, but this novel took an even darker turn on a larger scale. We are given an inside look at the unsavory business that holds the cassandra sangue hostage, and because we have come to care so much for Meg and love her innocence, we can’t help but be horrified at what she might have gone through while living in captivity. As this story unfolds, even though the terre indigene can be truly frightening, it’s the humans and their lack of humanity that have become the monsters.

Anne Bishop deftly intertwines storylines told from several perspectives and when those stories merge, the impact is jolting leaving the reader hanging off the edge of their seat eagerly grabbing for the next book in the series. A paranormal thriller at its best. ❤❤❤❤❣

Share this:

Like this:

From the first scene, as Meg Corbyn is running in the snow towards the lights of the Lakeside Courtyard, I was gripped with tension, my eyes moving rapidly over the words that would take me to the next step in this plot. When Meg meets shapeshifter Simon to apply for the Human Liaison job, this authors words filled me with hope that he would give it to her, to help keep her from the people chasing her. That was before I even knew what they all were! Anne Bishop set the stage for an amazing new world of shifters, vampires, elementals, etc. and most importantly what Meg is, a Cassandra Continue reading “This Chick Read: Written in Red (The Others #1) by Anne Bishop”→

Follow Blog via Email

Yeah, It’s me.

Hi! I am an avid reader who annoys her husband because I always have my head buried in a book. I was an English major, and have finally decided to do something with the knowledge and skills my parents love and money have given me.
Mostly I'm just a chick who reads. A Lot.